Lives lost per unit of meat eaten

[Katy]

I'm not going to say too much about this thread.

I will say this much tho.......no dairyman that I know culls their cows at 3 years of age. That would mean cullling after only one year of production. Most cows are bred to calve for the first time at 2 years of age....which means at 3 she would only be pregnant with calf number 2 and be in her first cycle of milking. If a cow is culled at 3-5 years it's because of some other issue...not her age.

 

[chickened]

I would tend to agree with most of what you posted about the bugs and all needing space and the "fat" part. The part I disagree with is the cost to human needs and it's unintended consequences.

Some species are destined to go extinct and have as our fossil records show. Just because it is human related extinction does not always mean it is bad but maybe unfortunate. We are now more than ever and becoming more of a part of the natural world and pre-human extinction are not really the same because of the expansion of people into animal habitat. Nature adjusts.

If science would conclude that population control measures were the only answer would you as a biologist volunteer yourself or your family? probably not nor would I so the point would really be mute right? I am just looking at the issue from all sides.

Quote:

 

[chickened]

I did learn in Yellowstone about the grizzly bear and it's need for some moth and did not realize how much they relied on them. They did find out that in natural cycles of poor moth production years the bears would roam farther in search of other food and now have bears in places previously thought unsuitable. They did say letting the park burn in 88 hurt the moth numbers as they need some certain tree or bush to reproduce.

 

[centrarchid]

chickened,

I am part of my own population control effort. Delayed birth of first born (> 35 years) and limited brood size to two. Delaying first reproduction and keeping average brood size to just over two kids can enable gradual reduction in population size. Averaging just two kids at any age can do same. In longer-term, although not that long; nature (which could include war, pestilence, or famine) will do it for us and such a culling will not be fair to everyone. I am just being a biologist with that statement.

Jim

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

If god did not intend for me to eat animals why did he make them out of meat.... An why did he give me such pointy teeth?

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Paleontology is a hobby interest of mine. Present human induced extinction rates if allowed to persist for too long will match that which took out dinosaurs and may even approach the event which took out our kin that preceeded the dinosaurs in dominance. The present human induced extinction rate greatly exceedes the baseline rate when a disaster it is not at play.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Rebel, even for an ape you do not have pointy teeth. I would be surprized if you would even sink your teeth into something without first having a go at with some kind of fruity steak sauce and a fork.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Quote:
Rebel, even for an ape you do not have pointy teeth. I would be surprized if you would even sink your teeth into something without first having a go at with some kind of fruity steak sauce and a fork.

I agree.... Cause I actually have no teeth.... But back in the day..... Another story all together.


Anyway, the point is natures vegetarians don't have K9s. or what ever you call those pointy ones

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Rebel, even for an ape you do not have pointy teeth. I would be surprized if you would even sink your teeth into something without first having a go at with some kind of fruity steak sauce and a fork.

I agree.... Cause I actually have no teeth.... But back in the day..... Another story all together.


Anyway, the point is natures vegetarians don't have K9s. or what ever you call those pointy ones

Follow links
musk deer
http://www.geekologie.com/2010/11/18/fanged-deer-4.jpg

hippo
http://irmin.com/wallpaper/Animals/Hippo.jpg

Gorilla
http://www.mongabay.com/images/gabon/600/gabon_1730.JPG

Some the horses extinct ancestors also sported canines that were functional fangs apparently used by males when fighting. Wolfteeth are vestigial remains like our appendix.

Many more examples can be provided if time allowed.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Both hippos an gorilla eat meat. An im pretty sure our tiny pointy teeth are not for fighting.